The present invention relates to a slide member on which another member can slide smoothly.
In prior art slide members, a surface of each of the slide members on which surface another member slides includes lead (Pb).
An object of the present invention is to provide a slide member on whose surface another member can slide smoothly, and in which fatigue resistance, wear resistance and anti-seizure property of the surface are improved.
In a slide member for supporting another member thereon movably, comprising a base member, and a slide layer including a first surface fixed to the base member and a second surface being opposite to the first surface in a thickness direction of the slide layer and capable of contacting (xe2x80x9ccontactxe2x80x9d includes a contact through a lubricant, for example, a liquid lubricant between the slide member and the another member) the another member in such a manner that the another member is movable on the second surface, according to the present invention, the slide layer includes silver as a main component of the slide layer and a solid lubricant.
Since the slide layer includes both silver as the main component of the slide layer and the solid lubricant, all of the fatigue resistance, wear resistance and anti-seizure property of the second surface are kept at high degrees respectively.
The solid lubricant may include at least one of graphite, amorphous carbon, molybdenum disulfide and boron nitride. The amorphous carbon may include Diamond-like-carbon.
It is preferable for keeping both the anti-seizure property and an adhesion strength between the first surface and the base member at respective high levels that a content of the solid lubricant decreases from the second surface toward the first surface, and/or that a content of the solid lubricant at the second surface is higher than a content of the solid lubricant at the first surface.
It is preferable for keeping the adhesion strength between the first surface and the base member at high level that a content of the silver increases from the second surface toward the first surface, and/or that a content of the silver at the second surface is lower than a content of the silver at the first surface.
It is preferable for keeping both the anti-seizure property and the adhesion strength between the first surface and the base member at respective high levels that the slide layer includes a first film and a second film stacked in the thickness direction, the first film includes the first surface, the second film includes the second surface, and a content of the solid lubricant in the first film is smaller than a content of the solid lubricant in the second film.
It is preferable for keeping the adhesion strength between the first surface and the base member that a content of the silver in the first film increases from a boundary between the first and second films toward the first surface, and/or that a content of the silver in the first film is higher than a content of the silver in the second film.
It is preferable for keeping the adhesion strength between the first surface and the base member that the base member is metallic to facilitate the diffusion between the first surface and the base member.
It is preferable for keeping all of the fatigue resistance, wear resistance and anti-seizure property of the second surface at high degrees respectively that the slide layer includes the solid lubricant by 0.05-10 mass %, and/or that a peak ratio of G peak/D peak is not less than 0.5 and not more than 5.0 when G peak and D peak are measurable from the second surface of the slide layer by Raman analysis.